Jesus words to the people- Pt. II

Intentional

Everything Jesus did was intentional, was purposed and was for the glory of the Father.

Can you think of things that Jesus was intentional about?

Are there things you are intentional about?

Are there things you should be intentional about?

Intentional - Meeting with Nicodemus

Intentional - Meeting with unlikely woman of Samaria

Intentional -healing at pool of Bethesda on Sabbath

Intentional - claims equality with God

Intentional - provides witnesses

Intentional - feeding the masses

Intentional - deliverance from storm

Intentional words to the people.

So to keep things in context here is what I hope we can do tonight

Review context from last week (Jn6:26-28)

Demand a sign (Jn6:28-33)

I am the bread of life (Jn6:34-40)

Keeping things in context

What they want and what He offers are two different things

John 6:26 NASB95

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

John 6:27 NASB95

27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

John 6:28 NASB95

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

You seek Me but for wrong reasons (v.26)

They sought for another free meal, to be filled

You labor but for wrong things (v.27)

They are worried, labor for the temporal and before them is the One who wants to give to them eternal that came from the Father.

You ask, but the wrong question (v.28)

They ask a question about physical work, and This is where we are picking up tonight.

Demand a sign

They want more proof than what they already had, let’s look and see what the passage says.

John 6:28–29 NASB95

28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

John 6:30–31 NASB95

30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’ ”

John 6:32 NASB95

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.

John 6:33 NASB95

33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

What observations do you make of this passage?

What did the people think they needed to do (v.28)?

They thought they still needed to labor, to work, there was something they needed to do, labor for, to do the works of God and they wanted to know what it was?

Jesus just tell us what we must do for you go give us this miracle bread like Moses did and be our miracle king like we think You are.

What did the people need to do according to Jesus (v.29)?

All they needed to do was believe, that is the work of God.

They did not need to do, they needed to trust!

Commentator Mcclaren says “The priest says ‘rites and ceremonies. The thinker says ‘culture and education,’ The moralist says, do this, that and the other thing,’ and enumerates a whole series of separate acts. Jesus Christ says, ‘One thing is needful. . . this is the work of God.’”

Today it is still the work of God when He moves in you to come to believe in the One who was sent, in Jesus Christ.

What did they demand of Jesus (v.30)?

Show us a sign so we can believe you?

Had they forgotten they just go fed the day before with a few fishes and loaves?

Had they forgotten getting in boats to follow, others running around the lake to find Him?

Jesus responds to the demand how (v.32-33)?

They wanted daily bread, manna like Moses gave. daily provision so they did not have to labor for it. Heck He just told them not to labor for food that perishes (v.27)

You need the true bread from heaven, the One the father sent.

They still were not buying into that, and it brings to remembrance from the story of rich man and Lazarus from Lk16.

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus the man begged that Lazarus be sent back from the dead to bring belief to his brothers.

lk16:31 “31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ””

Jesus responds to the demand how (v.32-33)?

It wasn’t Moses who gave it to you, it was the Father who provided daily, and provided bread from heaven now, true bread out of heaven.

Bread that gives life, life to the world!

I’m the Bread of life

There is bread that nourishes our body and our life. Then there is the bread of life that gives us life, and life eternally.

John 6:34–35 NASB95

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

John 6:36–37 NASB95

36 “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 6:38–39 NASB95

38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

John 6:40 NASB95

40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Any general observations?

What is it that the people ask for (v.34)?

They ask for bread

I mean when you are hungry, we think food will satisfy us, and it does, temporarily, but Jesus is speaking more than temporal, He is speaking eternal.

They were taught by the Rabbi’s that when the Messiah comes he would rain down bread from heaven like Moses did. So that is why they are asking for the sign.

Jesus boldly makes statement (v.35)? What does He say, what does He imply?

He makes the “I AM” statement. That He is the bread of life. He is what they need. - - - by the way this is the first “I AM” statement found in gospel of John.

He also states there is a condition to meet too. they must “come to Me”

There is the promise also, all wrapped up in this one verse. If you come to Me, you will not hunger, you will not thirst. - Jesus explains to them that those who come to him in belief, in faith, those who are willing to receive Him for who He is will never hunger or thirst spiritually.

He was hoping to get them stop looking down, but to look up, look up, from the earthly, to the heavenly, from the physical to the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal.

FF Bruce says “What they wanted, he would not give, what he offered, they would not receive.”

Man, I can’t pass up another good quote, this time from Spurgeon

“Faith in Christ is simply and truly described as coming to Him. It is not an acrobatic feat, it is simply a coming to Christ. It is not an exercise of profound mental faculties; it is coming to Christ. A child comes to his mother. A blind man comes to his home, even an animal comes to his master. Coming is a very simple action indeed, it seems to have only two things about it, one is, to come away from something, and the others is, to come to something.”

What does Jesus say about their belief (v.36)?

You have seen Me; you have seen the signs, wonders, in fact that is why you are following, but yet you do not believe in Me.

What is the purpose of signs and wonders done by Jesus in the gospel, oh, and where do you find the answer?

There is an instruction and a promise found in (v.37), what are they?

Come to Me

The ones who Come to Me will not be cast out.

How does one come to Jesus? - by faith! Continued belief.

Verses 37-40 shows both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God gave the Son (divine sovereignty) but man must come to Him (human responsibility); this is not work it is accepting!

There is a theology that this is pre-selection, predestination, predetermined plan that only certain ones were given by the Father and only those are saved and none will be lost, or cast out. And in looking at this verse by itself you could conclude that. When we look at the whole counsel of God we cannot conclude that.

Jesus tells you the will of the Father, what is it (vv.38-39)?

For Jesus to do the Fathers will, is the will of the Father

Jesus did not have His own agenda, He was fully surrendered to the Father and only carried out the Fathers agenda. To fulfill the Fathers will.

For Jesus to raise up those who are His on the last day.

So notice in (v.39) that there is “all” so this is the church in general. It is available to “all.”

Jesus reconfirms the will in (v.40), what details do you notice in this verse?

“everyone who believes (beholds) will have eternal life.

So there is general “all” in (v.39) and personal, individual (v.40).

The promise is they will be raised up on the last day!

this is kinda a remnant of what we read back in Jn3:14-15. This is not on your outline, just added it.

John 3:14–15 NASB95

14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

So, to summarize in short order what we have seen today.

They came for the wrong reason, but the right reason was presented so they could come to Him.

It is not works for the temporal that saves, it is the food that endures forever that gives eternal life. That food is Jesus, the One sent from heaven.

There is no work we can do, we can only accept God’s work done through the Son.

Jesus is the bread of heaven that we all need and is made available to all who believe. He gives life and life eternal to those who believe

Don’t believe because you see, believe and you will see!

Jesus had no personal agenda, He was the fulfillment of the Fathers agenda, the Fathers will.

If you come to Him, and you have real faith, real belief, you can have heavenly assurance and not be cast out, not be lost. And finally that on that last day will be raised up!